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Lotus Elan

Peter Stevens should be a proud man. Not only did he design what for many years was the world's fastest road car, the McLaren F1, he also crafted the equally exhilarating and somewhat cheaper Lotus Elan.

While it may not exhibit quite the same acceleration or top speed as the McLaren, the Lotus does deserve its place among the motoring greats. It offers superb performance and unbelievable handling for a reasonable price.

Because it was designed and built after Lotus had fallen under the ownership of General Motors in the mid-1980s, the Elan also enjoyed levels of development and investment never before lavished on a Lotus model. It not only boasted a turbocharged 165bhp engine but also front-wheel drive. To some purists these factors diminished the car's true sporting credentials. In reality, given Lotus's strategy of minimising the car's kerb weight, they meant that when it came to corners the